Contamination with pathogens and short microbiological durability are the main hygienic problems related to pates. The purpose of the studies was the durability comparison of two different pates stored under the refrigeration. We also tried to determine which of the intraenvironmental factors have the strongest impact on the microbiological status of the material studied. Both the pates were stored for 10 days. Microbiological parameters, water activity and pH values were measured at the experiment days 0, 3, 7 and 10. The pathogens were not isolated from any sample in course of the entire experiment. The total plate count in the pates increased by 0,4–0,5 log CFU x g^-1 after 10 days of storage, and consequently the threshold of bacterial spoilage was not exceeded. The moulds were isolated from the material studied from 3^rd day of experiment, with the higher counts determined in poultry pate. External water activity seems to be the factor affecting the mould growth within the material studied.

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